The Reno County Commission is working on exactly how to react to word that a complaint was allegedly received at a national organization over the practice of having a Christian prayer at the beginning of each meeting.

Apparently, they received a letter from an organization called, “Americans United for Separation of Church and State,” based in Washington. They claim that they received a complaint about the county opening their meetings with a sectarian prayer. They say they viewed recordings of the sixteen prayers offered at commission meetings between December 6 of last year and March 30, of this year and claim they found that at fourteen of the meetings, more the 87% were sectarian Christian prayers that invoked the name Jesus Christ. They say this practice is in violation of the establishment clause of the First amendment of the Constitution. They want the practice either ended all together or for the county to only allow non-sectarian prayers.

Commissioner Dan Deming says they have not received any complaints at the county and believe most in the county would have no such problem with what they’ve been doing, which matches with what occurs at Hutchinson City Council meetings.

Deming says he believes this organization seeing the recorded meetings online is the cost of putting them on line, and believes this organization apparently discovered it.

He also adds, they have no problem with other religions prayers being give at the beginning of the meetings. He also noted that Pastor Tim Ault-Duell with the South Hutchinson United Methodist Church who gave the prayer Tuesday morning, did not use the name of Jesus Christ, but that it was a Christian prayer otherwise.

Deming says they plan to send letters over this issue to all the ministers of churches that are involved with giving the prayers at commission meetings to get their thoughts.

He says they may be forced to go to having a moment of silence, but no decision has been made.